Over the past decade, a clear pattern has emerged in Hollywood: Direct a successful, small movie and get a large blockbuster in return. That small movie doesn't even have to be that successful, either -- it just has to be good, and your next film can have a budget up to 200 times the size. And also, you pretty much have to be a man.

Patty Jenkins takes charge on the set of Wonder Woman. Image: Warner Bros.

But that changes this week with the release of Wonder Woman. The DC superhero film is only the second theatrical feature of director Patty Jenkins and, with a budget reported around $US150 million ($203 million), it's not only one of the biggest budgets ever given to a female director, it's a massive step up from her first feature, Monster, which cost only $US8 million ($10.8 million).

Jenkins' move to the majors may seem like big news, but that's only because of her gender; this kind of escalation has certainly happened before, but until now, only with male directors. This is just a small list of some of the many massively budgeted films directed by men -- men whose previous works were tiny in comparison, but studios decided to take a chance on anyway.

Please note: All budget info comes from Box Office Mojo; if the budget isn't available, that means it's never been publicly been reported and is likely less than $US10 million ($13.5 million). Also, this isn't in any way a criticism of the talent of anyone mentioned here -- we're just pointing out the disparity.

An image from Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales. Image: Disney

Kong: Skull Island

Previous feature: His debut, The Kings of Summer, budget unknown, grossed only $US1.3 million ($1.8 million) worldwide but was a critical success.

The first Guardians of the Galaxy. Image: Disney

Guardians of the Galaxy

Budget: $US170 million ($230.1 million)

Director: James Gunn

Previous feature: Before Guardians, his most recent film, Super, cost $US2.5 million ($3.4 million) and grossed $US327,000 ($440,070) worldwide. Before that he did Slither, which cost $US15 million ($20.3 million) and grossed $US12 million ($16.2 million).

Jurassic World

Budget: $US150 million ($203 million)

Director: Colin Trevorrow

Previous feature: His debut, Safety Not Guaranteed, budget unknown, grossed $US4 million ($5.4 million) worldwide and was a critical smash.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

Budget: $US150 million ($203 million)

Director: David Yates

Previous feature: His only other feature, 1998's The Tichborne Claimant, doesn't have a reported budget or gross. He'd mostly done a lot of TV.

Fantastic Four

The list goes on and on and on, and it isn't a trend that's ending soon. Here are some upcoming movies in the same pattern. We don't know the budgets of any of these movies, as they are still being determined, but it's safe to assume they're all in the $US200 million ($270.7 million) plus range.

Godzilla vs. Kong

Were you also wondering what the highest grossing films of all time directed by women are -- as well how much they cost, and the director's previous film? I'm glad you asked. Here are the top-grossing films of all time directed by one woman.

Kung Fu Panda 2. Image: DreamWorks

Kung Fu Panda 2

Budget: $US150 million ($203 million)

Gross: $US666 million ($901.3 million) worldwide

Director: Jennifer Yuh Nelson in her feature debut, but she'd been working on films since the early '90s. It took almost 20 years for her to get a feature film.

Fifty Shades of Grey

Budget: $US40 million ($54.1 million)

Gross: $US571 million ($772.8 million) worldwide

Director: Sam Taylor-Johnson, who had done one feature, Nowhere Boy, budget unknown with a $US6.5 million ($8.8 million) worldwide gross.

Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel

Budget: $US75 million ($101.5 million)

Gross: $US443 million ($599.5 million) worldwide

Director: Betty Thomas, whose previous features included The Brady Bunch Movie, I Spy, Doctor Dolittle and Private Parts, all of which had roughly similar budgets. She also hasn't directed a feature since.

What Women Want

Director: Nancy Myers, who at the time had previously only directed Disney's remake of The Parent Trap, budget unknown.

Pitch Perfect 2

Budget: $US29 million ($39.2 million)

Gross: $US288 million ($389.8 million) worldwide

Director: Elizabeth Banks, in her feature debut, who has been acting since 1998.

Most of these directors were either working with well below $US100 million ($135.3 million) in terms of budget, or didn't make a huge leap from their previous film. The exceptions all have caveats, like being a less risky animated sequel or adaptation of one of the most popular books in years. Plus, this is us considering films released all time and in all genres, not just the last few years of blockbusters, like the top group.

So yes, Wonder Woman is a significant milestone in Hollywood. And Ava DuVernay, going from the $US20 million ($27.1 million) Selma to the Disney tentpole A Wrinkle in Time might even be the next director to buck the trend. A trend we will hopefully see continue.

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